Social Cohesion & Identity

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Social Cohesion & Identity

Large-scale immigration has led to unprecedented levels of diversity and rapid demographic change, transforming communities across major immigrant-receiving countries in fundamental ways and challenging closely held notions of national identity, particularly in an era of economic uncertainty. The research here focuses on what policymakers can do to mitigate the destabilizing effects of rapid societal change — especially changes tied or perceived to be tied to immigration — in order to create stronger and more cohesive societies.

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Nearly 40 percent of Switzerland's 1.6 million foreign residents come from countries outside the European Union. Julie Schindall examines the latest data on this population, integration indicators and policies, and political rhetoric and public opinion.

The idea of belonging is a powerful lens for examining immigrant integration. Geoff Mulgan of the Young Foundation in the United Kingdom outlines 10 key feedback circuits, including the economy, culture, and physical environment, from which people receive messages about belonging.

In the United States, the academic success of children of Chinese and Korean immigrants usually is attributed to either their culture or the U.S. immigration system, which favors skilled migrants. Min Zhou and Susan S. Kim of the University of California, Los Angeles compare the after-school institutions in these communities to explain the effect of ethnicity on educational outcomes.

The second generation in New York City largely comes from non-European ethnic origins. Philip Kasinitz, Mary C. Waters, John Mollenkopf, and Jennifer Holdaway look at how growing up in a “majority minority” city has affected their experiences in school and on the job, how they feel about their progress, and where they think they fit within American society.

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Recent Activity

Despite a robust mainstream workforce development system offering job-search and other employment assistance to newcomers, immigrants in France are more likely to be unemployed or in low-skilled work than their native-born peers. This report examines how well recent changes to integration policy, in combination with mainstream employment policies, are supporting migrants' integration and advancement in the labor market.

A port city connecting the Netherlands with major trading partners, Rotterdam is, and has long been, home to migrants from around the globe. But the recent rise in temporary forms of migration presents new challenges for Rotterdam’s integration policy.

This report provides a first look at the opportunities and tradeoffs that smartphones and emerging technologies offer for immigrant integration, and how they might deepen city residents’ sense of belonging. Smartphones can facilitate on-the-go learning, reduce barriers to city services for residents with limited destination-country language proficiency, and improve civic engagement.

In April 2014, MPI's Transatlantic Council on Migration convened an extraordinary meeting with city-level officials from Rotterdam to discuss the potential that "urban citizenship" offers for building new identities at the local level. This Council Statement focuses on the identity crisis that many cities are facing and offers strategies to unite cities, expand services for diverse groups, and foster community cohesion.

This report examines the development of immigrant integration policies in Denmark over the past 15 years, specifically focusing on the centralization of Danish integration policies and exploring differences between policy frameworks at national and local levels, where certain areas have developed less restrictive and more accommodating policy responses to immigrant integration.

As the initial point of contact for most immigrants, cities see firsthand how both local and national policies affect newcomers and minorities. This report explores the steps cities across Europe are taking to be more inclusive of immigrants and minorities and how these efforts relate to national policies.

Large immigration flows challenge destination cities to find innovative ways to meet the needs of immigrant residents and promote their integration. This report examines the successful integration strategies of five U.S. cities—Cupertino and San Francisco, CA; Littleton, CO; New York City; and Seattle—and offers lessons for local governments looking to implement their own initiatives.